Sealed can with attached opener



G. w. DARLINTON 7 2,162,801

' SEALED CAN WITH ATTACHED OPENER June 20, 1939.

Filed Oct. 13, 1937 lvvazzzor I 9:012 a: fl 04M //v7'0/v .Atzorzzays Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES PA'T'EN T OFF] C E SEALED CAN WITH ATTACHED OPENER George W. Darlinton, .San Pedro, Calif. Application October 13, 1937, Serial No.;168,746

1 Claim.

This invention relates to receptacles and particularly to that class of receptacles which are sealed.

Many commodities are sold in cans which are provided with spouts, the spouts being sealed at the time that the commodities are manufactured and sold and covered by a detachable closure. With such receptacles of the commodities, the purchaser punctures or breaks the seal in the spout at the time he desires to remove some of the contents and uses the detachable closure to close the spout to preserve the remaining contents.

An object of the present invention is to provide a suitable opening means which is neatly and conveniently associated with such a receptacle having the above-mentioned characteristics that it will facilitate the puncturing or breaking of the seal.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved opener for puncturing the seal of the receptacle, such as cans, which opener will be of relatively cheap, simple, yet durable construction and which can be easily and conven- 'fi iently mounted upon the can with which it is sold.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following de tailed description and specifically pointed out in 39 the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawing for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of the upper portion of a can illustrating the opener applied 35 thereto which embodies the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the can shown in Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating the detachable closure as having been removed 40 from the spout and the opener in position to break the seal; and

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the opener. Referring to the accompanying drawing wherein similar reference characters designate 45 similar parts throughout, the can l0 may be 'of any preferred construction and is provided on its top H with an upstanding spout l2 which is externally threaded as at l3 for the application of a threaded cap [4. The top of the spout I3 is 50 closed by sheet metal as indicated at l5. This closure or seal is left imperforate in the can at the time of manufacture and remains in that condition until the can and contents are sold to the customer. 55 The opener comprises a section of relatively heavy sheet metal indicated at l'fi which is folded or bent so as to be of general U-shape form as shown on Fig. 4. It has one flat or straight leg ll designed to rest against the top H of the can N). The opener is pointed as indicated at I8, the point being at the end of the fold l9. The other leg of the opener curves upwardly from the fold I9 so that its top, indicated at 20, is normally slightly higher than the top of cap [4. The corner of this upper leg is bent downwardly as indicated at 2| and in a similar manner, the corner of the lower leg I! is bent downwardly as indicated at 22.

When the can has been filled and sealed and the cap I4 is applied thereto, the opener is positioned with its flat leg I! resting against the top H; In this position the upper leg or top 20 extends over the top of a portion of the cap l4, as shown on Fig. 2. It is then sprung downwardly causing the downwardly bent corner 2| 20 to contact with the side of the cap and a drop of soft solder 23 is applied which detachably fastens the opener to the cap.

The opener thus constructed will rest on the top H of the can along the fold l9 and on the 25 downwardly bent tip of corner 22. As the top 20 was sprung downwardly during the application of the drop of solder 23 the opener is under a slight tension which causes it to remain snugly held against the top of the can.

When the customer purchases the can and its contents he receives the opener attached to the cap I4. When he desires to open the can he grasps the opener and by bending it slightly breaks the soft solder connection at 23. The threaded cap I4 may then be removed to expose the sealing closure I5 in the end of the spout. The piercing point It! may then be applied to the sealing closure and a hammer or similar article may be used to drive the opener into the sealing closure to puncture the top opening the can.

' The bent ends or corners 2| and 22 prevent the opener from being driven entirely through the sealing closure and from dropping into the can. These laterally bent portions will engage part of the sealing closure when the opener is driven therethrough, preventing the opener from passing entirely through the sealing closure. If necessary, a number of different punctures may be made through the sealing closure l5 by the opener.

It isintended that after the opener has been used to open one can that it be thrown away. Such contents as may remain in the can after it has been first opened may be preserved by the re-application of the detachable cap l4.

As will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 2, the bottom or flat leg I! is substantially oi. triangular shape with the piercing point 18 located at the apex of the triangle. The upper leg or top 20 is of a similar shape with the exception that it is concavely curved as at 24 above the piercing point I8.

It will be noted that the can shown in the drawings has an upstanding rim around the top which is true of a large number of styles of cans. With the present invention the piercing point is disposed below the top edge of this upstanding rim so that it is efiectively protected against being accidentally encountered during handling of the can. That is, there is no danger of the point becoming accidentally caught on clothing or of the handler becoming cut thereby.

It will be noted also that the showing on the drawing illustrates the top of the can as being slightly corrugated or with the center of the top around the pouring spout slightly depressed. Such a construction is not necessary for the use of the present invention but when employed, it is compensated for by the downwardly bent corner on the bottom or flat leg of the opener. This downwardly bent corner supports the fiat or bottom leg of the opener in a perfectly horizontal plane so that in efiect a three-point contact is made between the bottom of the opener and the top of the can, to wit, at both ends of the fold line and at the downwardly bent corner. 1

From the above described construction it will be appreciated that the improved can has temporarily associated therewith during the period of shipment and sale a conveniently mounted opener which may be readily employed to puncture and break the seal in the spout of the can. The opener is of relatively cheap and simple construction and is of such a design as to be snugly fitted against the top of the can and detachably secured to the detachable c-ap I4.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim;

I claim:

An opener for sealed containers comprising a section of sheet metal bent so as to be of general U-shape in cross section, one side of the section being substantially fiat so as to be capable of lying on the top of a container, the other side curving upwardly from the fold line so as to be capable of being positioned against a threaded cap for the container, both sides of the section being of generally triangular form and said section being pointed with the point located at one end of the fold line.

GEO. W. DARLINTON. 

